Leafs defenceman has no interest in being traded

About the only place Luke Schenn will be going this summer is home to Saskatchewan, and the young Maple Leafs defenceman would have it no other way.

Schenn, at a Nike training event Wednesday morning in Toronto, said he is glad to know the rumours involving a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning were grounded by Leafs general manager Brian Burke.

"He called me to say they are not true, and I was happy to hear that," Schenn said. "I want to spend a long time here and I love it here."

On Tuesday, it became public knowledge that the Lightning would send the second pick overall in the NHL entry draft next month if Burke was willing to cough up Schenn, fellow defenceman Tomas Kaberle and the seventh pick overall. Burke told Sun Media the idea was "absurd" and made sure to let Schenn know he was not going to be traded.

"He said that I'm a part of things moving forward here in Toronto," Schenn, 19, said. "That's all I needed to hear."

It didn't help Schenn's nerves that close pal and Lightning forward Steve Stamkos called him on Tuesday to talk about the speculation.

"Steve called me and said he just heard on the radio that I was coming to Tampa Bay and his general manager (Brian Lawton) called to ask what type of guy I was," Schenn said. "Then Brian called me literally two minutes later."

Stamkos, also at the Nike event along with Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano of the Edmonton Oilers and Canadian women's team members Jayna Hefford and Jennifer Botterill, viewed Schenn as the one that got away.

"I would love to play with the Human Eraser," Stamkos said with a laugh. "I joked that I had a room available in Tampa that has his name on it.

"If I was a betting man, I would bet he would stay in Toronto. He is a guy you really want to build your team around."